Ontario LCBO abandons managed-access pilot program

A plan to ask customers to show identification before being allowed to enter six LCBO stores in northern Ontario is being scrapped immediately after “serious concerns” were raised, a spokeswoman for the province's finance minister says.

On February 13, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) announced the launch of a 12-month pilot project that will require security to provide photo identification before allowing any customer who appears to be at least 17 years old. Visit four stores in Thunder Bay, as well as one each in Kenora and Sioux Lookout.

The state-run corporation said it will scan the identity cards to ensure they are legal and valid.

But less than a day after the announcement, MPP spokesman Peter Bethlenfalvi said the program would be terminated.

“Over the past 24 hours, I've heard serious concerns about the LCBO's newly announced pilot program. I have instructed the LCBO to stop it immediately,” Colin Blachar said in a written statement to CTV News Toronto. “In the event of safety concerns, the LCBO will continue to work with community partners to explore alternatives to ensure the safety of our customers and employees.”

The LCBO has previously said the pilot program is being launched to combat retail theft.

It also said that these locations were chosen because their “existing geography allows us to measure the effectiveness of controlled entrances without transferring theft to other stores.”

The government did not say exactly why the program was being suspended, but in a statement to CP24.com, the executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Union said it viewed it as a “fundamental violation of individual privacy.”

Noah Mendelsohn Aviv said: “They planned to collect data on every adult who entered certain LCBO stores in bulk – and all of this data would be given to the police in the event of an incident at that store.”

For its part, the LCBO said in a statement that it is committed to “collaborating on additional measures to reduce incidents of theft and violence in our stores and provide a safer experience for our customers and employees.”